I guess I’m a sell-out

Things, to say the least, went a little better than I ever expected. As I blogged last month, I have always wanted to have an art opening for some of my photographs, but had never pursued it. So, in February when I was asked by a local art dealer to show my work at the United Way for a show called “Beauty Matters,” I was pretty excited.

The show ends today and I am proud – and a bit astonished – to report that I sold five of the six photographs I showed. That makes me the top-seller of any artist for this show. Only one of the pieces sold actually went to someone I know, too, which also kinda blew my socks off, and this person only figured out that I took it after he bought it.

I’m told by the curator of this show that this has every indication that I can now officially call myself an artist. It also, apparently, allows me to tell the photography instructor at UC who gave me a “C” in an elective photography class I took through the evening college several years ago (that I took to get an easy “A”) he can kiss my ass. I think I might do that in a letter to the dean, unless he or she (or the professor) reads this blog. Just e-mail me for my student number.

Author: Joe Wessels

Joe Wessels is a freelance journalist and photographer. Wessels covers local news events for Thomson Reuters news service and features for About.com's Cincinnati Guide site, plus is the executive director of hyperlocal news site, iRhine.com.
He wrote for The Cincinnati Post, covering Cincinnati City Hall and Hamilton County government and wrote a weekly political column, which continued weekly at Cincinnati CityBeat. Previously, he was a reporter for the Cincinnati Business Courier and writes or has written for several publications in Cincinnati and around the country including The Cincinnati Enquirer, Las Vegas Review-Journal, Cincinnati Magazine, Cincy Magazine and the Sacramento News & Review. He is a native of Colerain Township, one of Cincinnati's western suburbs, and now lives in Over-the-Rhine near downtown Cincinnati. He has a Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology and a journalism writing certificate from the University of Cincinnati. He also graduated from Colerain High School, is an avid photographer, news junkie and was once a roller rink disc jockey, and sometimes rides a scooter around town.
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